"Despite its small size, the E-PM2 has plenty to offer. At the top of the list is very good JPEG image quality, and though it's unlikely to be a key feature for the camera's target audience, RAW shooting is available. The now-standard (and lest we forget - Olympus-originated) Art Filters are on hand too, and they're a lot of fun to play with. For those just learning to use an advanced camera and eager to tweak settings, Olympus' Live Guide mode is available at the press of a button. And of course, advanced photographers can find manual exposure modes in the camera menu.

If you're interested in the E-PM2, for an extra $100 (~£100, going by street price in the UK), you could spring for the tilting LCD, external mode dial and removable front grip of the E-PL5. Photographers with larger hands may also find the ergonomics of the E-PL5 a better fit than the decidedly 'Mini' E-PM2, but there's not much in it."

"The E-PM2 is a nice little camera for snapshooters making their first foray into interchangeable-lens photography. However, it won't encourage them to develop their photographic skills and understanding because it is simply too difficult to access and adjust most of the key camera settings (particularly lens aperture and shutter speed settings). For this reason, it's also ill-suited to photo enthusiasts.

User interface design has long been an issue with Olympus cameras that really needs to be addressed - and we aren't the. . . read more

This is it: "Unstable exposure, while using lenses that cannot communicate with cameras (such as OM or body cap lenses), has been improved." Let's hope E-M5 owners eagerly awaiting the next 'stuffed with goodies' firmware update promised to be delivered soon, will get a bit more than this. . . . read more

"Image quality is where Micro Four Thirds cameras have traditionally lagged behind their APS-C sensor rivals, but the E-PM2 carries on where the OM-D E-M5 left off by equalling the results from other leading cameras. Noise doesn't rear its ugly head until ISO 3200 for JPEGs and even the faster settings prove eminently usable, although the E-PM2 does apply some pretty aggressive noise reduction to keep the files clean as shown by the noisier raw images. We never longed for a. . . read more

"The Olympus PEN E-PM2 shows very good image quality with clean results up to ISO 800. Noise becomes barely noticeable at ISO 1600 with little adverse effect. ISO 3200 makes noise clearly visible but details remain quite sharp and moderately large prints are completely usable. Only by ISO 6400 that we start seeing softness and fine details be eaten away. At this point it would be best to limit to medium-sized prints. ISO 12800 is more restrictive but remains usable for . . . read more

"It comes as no surprise that the Olympus PEN E-PM2 scores virtually identically to Olympus’ top-of-the-line OM-D E-M5 since they share the same sensor (as does the midrange Olympus PEN E-PL5). The E-PM2 actually comes in at one point higher than the E-M5 on the Overall Score, though that difference is negligible. The two cameras essentially have the same performance in color depth and dynamic range, and the E-PM2 scores less than 1/4 stop better in low-light ISO.. . . read more

"The camera's image quality is vastly improved over the previous PEN cameras, inheriting the 16 megapixel sensor from the Olympus OM-D E-M5, image quality is excellent with the 14-42mm MK II lens delivering sharp photos and excellent Olympus colour. Noise performance is the best it's ever been from a Micro Four Thirds camera, with usable ISO up to and including ISO6400.". . . read more

"Don't be put off or fooled by the rather simplistic menu layout and the art filters, which may not be to everyone's taste. The Olympus Pen E-PM2 is a very capable little camera, and would be ideal for someone looking for a CSC for occasional use alongside a more advanced DSLR. It will be interesting to see how the new Pen E-PL5 (Pen Lite) fares in our test in a few weeks' time, and to see exactly what features it adds to the Olympus Pen range.

Those wanting an experience and image quality more on a par with using a DSLR may be better served by the Sony NEX or Samsung NX ranges, but as far as a small, light CSC is capable of producing good images, you can't go far wrong with the E-PM2.". . . read more